The Adams County Parks & Recreation Committee voted to award the contract for a proposed maintenance and storage building at Castle Rock Park to the lowest responsive bidder after extended deliberations over building size, structural design and cost.

Carter, the project architect with MSA, told the committee the design is intended as a long‑term municipal building: "We designed a floating slab for value reasons... we're just at 7 [inches], one inch more with an 8‑inch compacted base below that," he said, adding the slab and structural details were chosen to meet commercial code and anticipated loads. Carter said the team received eight competitive bids, with an average bid of $555,000 and a low bid of $469,800.

Several supervisors questioned whether the building as designed exceeded the parks department’s immediate needs and whether features such as 8‑inch posts, high insulation values and a 400‑amp electrical service were necessary for a primarily storage facility. Supervisor Taylor said he could not understand the pricing and suggested a more modest commercial approach; other members argued commercial code and long‑term use supported the design. Carter and other staff explained that commercial building and energy codes, electrical service sizing for future campground expansion and the municipal nature of the project drive much of the cost.

Staff provided a bid component breakdown drawn from the low bidder: pole building cost ~$112,000; earthwork ~$77,000; concrete ~$43,000; plumbing ~$17,000; HVAC ~$34–35,000; and electrical roughly $59–60,000, which together account for a large portion of project cost in addition to site improvements. Kyle clarified that parks capital projects are largely funded from parks‑generated revenue and transfers from the debt service fund (sales tax), not from a dedicated parks tax levy.

After further discussion and a voice poll, the chair declared the motion to award the bid carried and directed staff to proceed with award and the next contracting steps. The committee asked staff to continue identifying potential cost savings and value engineering options where feasible but approved moving forward.